


Polarized

by amalrukia



Series: Strange world [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, F/F, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Nightmare!max, Polarized, Spirit Animals, fixing the finale, pricefield, rewritten finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 11:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5495555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amalrukia/pseuds/amalrukia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You might have fucked up time and space. No biggie.” She looked at her with smug smile. “Your head is pretty much fucked up too.” She joked as she leaned closer. “Did you actually think that a loser like you could control such powers? This is bigger than you. It is all your fault, but you don’t know that, do you?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Polarized

It was bright, too bright.  
The lights blinded her vision. Her head was killing her. Everything was a blur.  
There was a person, standing in front of her.  
No, two, or maybe three. It was hard to focus.  
Someone was facing her, but she did not recognize the person.  
_“Max, snap out of it.”_  
Then everything became clear.  
The person disappeared.  
Her hands were tied, she was laying on the cold ground, how did she end up like this?  
“You finally woke up. I was getting bored.” She heard a familiar voice. She looked up to see Jefferson, looking down at her with a camera.  
_“Shit! Shit!”_ Her eyes widened as she remembered everything, the dark room, Rachel, Chloe. _“Oh, Chloe…”_  
“You’re a natural beauty Max, just like Rachel.” He whispered, his hand caressing her face.  
“Let…me go you sick bastard!” Max yelled. She tried to move, but she couldn’t, her legs were tied too. She had nowhere to go.  
“Now, now, don’t be so aggressive Max, I just want to capture the best shots you could offer.” He said, grinning at her. “How do you like it, huh? Selfie expression?” He said, as he took another shot.  
The flash almost blinded her. How could this happen? Was she going to die the same way Rachel did?  
“Why… are you doing this?”  
“You should’ve paid attention to class Max, why do you think I did it?” He humored her as he cleaned the camera’s lenses. “Real art, is one when you capture raw emotions, one that come from despair and pain. Just like your case. Tell me, how does it feel to lose your dear friend? What was her name? Chloe?”  
“Don’t you fucking say her name!” She yelled, rage filling her veins. “You don’t deserve to!”  
“See? That’s what I’m talking about.” He smiled as he picked her up, changing her position. “I always found it exciting, to take pictures. Ones that describe pain, they’re wonderful, true, and touching. It is the only time I feel alive, that’s why I bought this place.”  
“You’re… you’re Harry Aeron Prescott?” The brunette asked. It made sense now.  
“Being a rich brat is boring, I choose, to start a new life, with a new name.” He said, as he leaned closer her to her, with his smug smile. Max looked away, disgusted. He took her chin, forcing her to look at him. “There is something about you, something so special, I never saw it before, except for Rachel, and she was too curious, too nosey, that I had to kill her. She was just like you. We still have the chance, Max.”  
Max spit at his face, glaring at him with hatred she never felt in her entire life. “I’d rather die.”  
He then laughed, and it disgusted her.  
He grabbed her arms and was on top of her, making sure she doesn’t escape. “Wonderful! You’re so entertaining Max, more than my stupid nephew, you are everything I ever wanted.” He started. “Rachel fought back like you, she was stronger than the other girls. Kate marsh was such an easy target that I got bored! But oh, it was wonderful to see that innocent in such a state.”  
“Shut up!”  
“Or what Max?” He whispered in her ear. “There is nothing you can do, but give me your most heartbroken look.” He said as he played with her hair, gently caressing it. He then got up and took another picture. “It’s your fault that your friend died.”  
_“Fuck, fuck! Please… someone, anyone…”_ She closed her eyes.  
“And it’s also your fault, that Victoria will meet the same fate.” He said and her gaze snapped back to him, for the first time, she noticed Victoria passed out on the bunker. “You should’ve kept silent. You could’ve saved her life.” He stated. He then started taking pictures of the unconscious girl.  
“Stop…” Max whispered, looking helplessly.  
_“Are you afraid of facing the consequences of your actions?”_  
A voice whispered, her own voice. She looked up and saw herself, in different clothes, it was her alternate self, the one she created when she saved William.  
_“You choose this Max.”_ Her counterpart stated, walking around in the dark room, observing it. _“You go around, changing time and space, challenging fate. How many lives have you actually ruined?”_  
“I… I didn’t ruin anyone’s life!” She answered, the intensity of her clone’s stare burning into her soul.  
_“You killed Chloe.”_  
“I didn’t kill he-“  
_“You killed the Chloe from my timeline.”_  
Her eyes widened, as the beating of her heart fastened. The memory came back to her, tearing her apart slowly, like a poison.  
“I didn’t want her to suffer!”  
_“But you made Joyce and William suffer instead. And the only person they could blame, is ME. Not you. Who gave you the right to intervene into people’s lives?”_  
She had no right, and she knew it.  
Was she doing it all for herself? Or was she trying to help others?  
Her helping was hurting the ones she loved.  
_“Who gave you the right to play God in their lives?”_  
The vision disappeared, and her eyes focused on Jefferson, he was tying her to a chair.  
“There is still time for you.” He whispered.  
_“Are you finally snapping, Maxine?”_ His face changed to hers. Her reflection stared at her, curious. _“After all the shit you saw, there is no way you could make it out of this sane. Going back in time, doesn’t seem like a blessing anymore, don’t you agree?”_  
That made her laugh, that made her laugh so much that the photographer was startled by her reaction.  
Oh, the irony, it hit her hard.  
“Time, time, time… would you fucking shut up?” She snapped at him, smiling bitterly. “Time for what? Mark. This takes me back to that awful lecture, little pieces of time my ass. Your voice makes my ears bleed.”  
“Looks like you’re snapping.”  
“The only thing that would snap here is your neck.” She let out all of her hatred and disgust. She had enough, everything was so distant, so cold and cruel. She didn’t care anymore. “You killed Chloe you piece of shit! You took away the person I cared about the most!”  
He killed Chloe. He killed Rachel.  
He drugged Kate and Victoria, and other girls.  
She had enough.  
Her body was failing her. Her emotions were taking control, and before she knew it, time stopped.  
This time, the stop was different, it was chaotic, everything was out of place, flowing, and she could’ve sworn that the air broke like pieces of glass, everything was raging, like a storm.  
When it stopped, everything flew out of place.  
Jefferson looked at his surroundings in shock, but it was soon replaced by a knowing look. “I should’ve know.”  
“What?” Max let out, she didn’t know what just happened, she lost control for a second, and her head was killing her, her nose was bleeding.  
“You see, the storm, was predicted. That is why we are getting ready for it, but it has more to it. Years ago, it was predicted, that someone, is going to face the Prescott’s, on the day of the storm, someone who will uncover all of their sins, on that could do the impossible. Just like you did right now.”  
“What do you mean predicted?”  
“It is a secret Max.” He answered her, then sat in front of her, his gaze hardening. “You got on the roof to save Kate Marsh, faster than anyone else, even though you got out of class at the same time. You discovered all of my secrets in a few days.” He lifted her chin up. “We never cared about the town, if anything, it was an opportunity to take over everything. I was more interested in the destruction it’d bring.”  
“What kind of sick monster are you?” She glared at him.  
“Power is corruption, and when you are born with it, you might as well become the devil.” He stated. “They didn’t believe in prophecies or spirits or some magical powers, but I did. I believed it, and I made a promise to myself, that I will find the girl who’ll bring our downfall, and break her into a fine piece of art.” He explained, as he came to her with a new dose, one that would kill her. “I can’t let you live, Max Caulfield.”  
She would have begged, she would have broken down, but there was nothing but emptiness, she didn’t care anymore.  
“Then get over with it, Jefferfuck.” She said, staring at him with an annoyed look.  
“Such a shame, Max. Good people die young.” He said as he walked towards her.  
She waited for the needle to touch her, to end it, then she can be with Chloe again.  
But it never came.  
“Get away from her and drop that down!”  
She heard another voice, she opened her eyes and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.  
Nathan Prescott was aiming his gun at Jefferson.  
“What do you think you’re doing, Nathan?” The teacher asked, his calm voice showing a bit of anger.  
“I am done with your nonsense! I did everything for you! I even drugged some random girls to impress you, did your dirty job… you told me that we wouldn’t hurt anybody!” Nathan yelled, angry but with a hint of fear, and the photographer noticed it.  
He walked towards the boy slowly. “You don’t want to do this, Nathan.”  
“S-shut up! Don’t fucking come near me! You killed Rachel! I saw you! A-and now, you’re going to do the same for Victoria!” He yelled. His hands started to shake, Max couldn’t tell if it was because of his anger, or his fear. “No one cares about me! No one but her! I’ll fucking kill you!”  
“You’re going to kill me after everything I did for you?” Jefferson asked, in a fatherly tone, but the boy knew better, it was all a lie, nothing but an act. “I treated you like my own son, when my brother treated you like a freak. I gave you everything you wanted, I covered up for your mistakes. Is this how you thank me?” He was facing him, his eyes intimidating him.  
Nathan felt like a child, in the presence of a demon.  
He felt like a toy.  
He was terrified.  
Jefferson stole the gun and pushed him to the floor, aiming it at him. “This was your last mistake.”  
Nathan let out a shaky laugh.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you completely lost your mind?” The photographer asked as he looked down at him with disgust.  
“The gun isn’t even loaded!” Nathan stated, he was shaking from the fear, but that didn’t stop him from smiling smugly. “Did you think that I was stupid enough to come alone?”  
Jefferson froze when he felt a gun against the back of his head. “Put your hands where I can see them, Mark Jefferson.”  
“Mr. Madsen, fancy seeing you here.”  
David gave a nod to Nathan and an apologizing look to Max.  
Nathan started untying her. “Nathan…”  
“Save it Caulfield, I’m doing this for myself.”  
David was about to handcuff the teacher but the words stopped him. “Too bad it’s too late for your step-daughter.” Jefferson said with a smirk.  
“What do you mean?” David asked, he knew the answer, he didn’t want to accept it. “YOU BASTARD!”  
Jefferson took opportunity of his anger and hit him, sending him on the floor, he was about to take the gun, but the war veteran gabbed his leg and pulled him down.  
David was on top of him, hitting him, and letting out his rage. “What did you do?!”  
“She’s dead! And you can’t do anything about it!” Jefferson stated with a cold tone, and a satisfied smile.  
“You son of a…!” David grabbed his neck, choking him, what he didn’t know was, that the photographer was an inch away from the gun.  
Nathan was torn between running to Victoria or intervening.  
Max however, saw it.  
_No, no! He can’t die too! He can’t!_ She forced herself to stand and somehow, time slowed down, and everything looked like broken pieces of glass. Either time was falling apart, or she was going insane, probably the latter, but that didn’t matter.  
She saw Jefferson escape David’s wrath and push him off him. She saw him reach for the gun.  
Then a gun shot was heard.  
“Oh, fuck! Oh fuck oh fuck!” Nathan freaked out as he saw the pool of blood. “You killed him!” He stated, looking at the shooter in horror.  
The one who got shot, wasn’t David.  
It was Jefferson.  
The one who fired the gun… was Max.  
She stared looked blankly at the remains of his face. Her hands were shaking so much that the weapon fell down.  
She killed him.  
She sat down, holding her knees close, and staring blankly.  
“Oh, god, Max.” David let out. He approached her slowly, and touched her shoulder. “Max, I’m so sorry, this my fault. Please, say anything.” He said, feeling guilty for seeing her in this state. He knows what it’s like to kill someone for the first time, war was cruel.  
But she wasn’t a soldier.  
She was a teenager who killed a person to protect a guy who kept antagonizing her.  
_“Holy shit! What have you done?”_ Her counterpart was standing in front of her, looking at the corpse with a horrified look. _“Killing someone by request is one thing, but this?”_  
Max just stared at her, unable to hear whatever David was telling her.  
_“You’re a murderer, Max. You don’t even regret it.”_  
“We don’t have time for this! We need to warn people! The storm is coming!” Nathan shouted, as he grew impatient.  
“What storm?” David asked.  
“You have to believe me! There is a storm coming, and we need to get as many people as we can to safety!”  
_The storm?_  
She almost forgot about it.  
She felt someone pull her, help her stand, she felt so far away from reality.  
“Look at that.” Her clone pointed at the table, she pointed at the necklace.  
Chloe’s necklace.  
Max snapped back to reality, she rushed to it and took it. She held it against her heart, as if she’d feel Chloe’s presence.  
It was no use, but that didn’t stop her.  
It was the only thing that brought her back to reality.  
“I don’t have time for this!” Nathan stated as he took Jefferson’s car key.  
“Take me with you.” The brunette said, stopping him.  
“You’ll slow me down!”  
“You have to take me with you!” She grabbed him by the shoulders. Her tone desperate. “I know how to fix this.” She stated so softly that he almost didn’t hear her.  
“Look, I don’t know what is going on here, but I’ll believe you. I’ll call the police and tell them to evacuate people. Max, it is better for you to stay here.” He said, but the hardened look on her face stopped him. “Just… be careful, okay? You have to warn Joyce, I doubt she will listen to me. God, how can I tell her about Chloe?” He shook his head, with a pained look. “I can’t believe I failed them…”  
“You didn’t.”  
Her cold tone caught his attention. “I was too la-“  
“It is his fault. He paid for it.” Max stated, her tone so cold, her stare so blank, that it could make anyone’s blood freeze.  
They didn’t know what she’s been through.  
But anyone could tell that she’s been through hell.  
Max grabbed some rain coat that was in the room, and walked towards the exit. “Are you coming?” She asked the Prescott heir who muttered something about ‘selfie bitch’ before following her.  
The weather was starting to get worse. She texted Warren, he told her that he was at the two whales diner.  
She needed to find him, she could save Chloe with the photo he took.  
A heavy uncomfortable silence fell on the car. She glanced at Nathan who was focusing on the road.  
She judged him so much, and she didn’t know what he was going through.  
She was in no position to judge anyone.  
Not after what she’s done.  
She was a killer.  
She didn’t regret it. Wouldn’t that make her a monster?  
“Jefferson said something about the Prescott’s knowing about the storm, and something about a vision or prophecy…” She started, and noticed how he tensed. “What did he mean?”  
“It’s not like you’ll believe me.” Nathan said bitterly. “You did nothing but hurt and blame me, Max. No one tried to understand me! Nobody tried to help me! Especially you!”  
“I’m sorry, Nathan.” She said sincerely, surprising him. “I had no right to blame you for Kate, or for other things, but that day in the bathroom, you were pointing your gun at someone, how did you expect me to react?” She explained then let out a bitter laugh. “It’s not like I am one to talk, I just killed someone.”  
She was trying not to think about it.  
Right now, she had to save Chloe, and stop the storm.  
She had to focus or she will break down.  
“I… saw the storm.” He confessed. His expression looked calmer than ever. “Our family had a ‘gift’, we saw visions of the future, but it stopped with my grandfather. I don’t know why, but I received this ‘gift’, it was driving me crazy, and… I thought that maybe I could stop it, I even tried to steal a damn Tobanga because I thought it would have some spiritual powers or whatever the fuck. My father didn’t listen. He wanted the town to burn, so that all of his sins burn with it. Fuck that! Once this is over, I’ll show everyone proof that Jefferson is a Prescott, and then dear father will lose control of Arcadia bay, fuck him and his money!”  
Max remained silent as she let it all sink.  
She wasn’t alone, someone else had some kind of ‘gift’.  
“Would you believe me if I told I can rewind time?” She asked, and he looked at her as if she grew a second head, he then laughed.  
“Fuck, I’d believe you.” He said, smiling. “It’s kinda fucked up, isn’t it? Why us of all people?”  
“I know exactly what you mean.” She said, returning his smile. “I feel like the storm is connected to my powers, I don’t know what to do.”  
“You said you we’re going to fix things, is that what you meant? Your powers?”  
“Yeah, but I can’t trust it, it brought nothing but misery… it is like a curse.”  
“Funny, I would trade anything to have that power and use it to fix my fucked up life.”  
“You wouldn’t want it. Do you know how many deaths I saw this week? How many times I fucked up trying to do the right thing?” She said, her voice cracking. “I have to use it one last time to fix things and then… I’m done with it.” She then looked at him. “Could you take me to two whales? I need to… there this photo that I need to go back with, to warn everyone and stop Jefferson.”  
He just stared at her, his eyes wandered elsewhere, as if he was looking for something, or someone. “Fuck, I don’t think I have a choice, do I?”  
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”  
He stopped in front of the diner, there was a heavy silence again.  
“Hey… about earlier.” Nathan started, avoided her gaze. “You did it to protect Madsen, don’t feel bad about it. You saved someone’s life, the world is a lot better with that bastard.” He said, rubbing his neck, as if he wasn’t used to comfort someone. Max looked down a bit, as if she would disagree, but he interrupted her. “I… something about you, reminds me of her… of Rachel. Just don’t die out there, okay?”  
She smiled sadly at him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll fix things, I promise.” She would have never thought that she and Nathan were similar, that they’d have a moment where they talk about how they felt, or that they’d comfort each other, it was strange, nice too. She left the car, then looked at him through the window. “What are you going to do now?”  
“I’m going to contact some guys that owe us favors and make them spread the word on media, I hope it works. Good luck with your time trip. Oh, and about my vision, there was someone, at the lighthouse… They were standing near the cliff, I don’t know if this helps you, but I thought you should know.” He said, before driving away.  
She watched him leave before going into the diner. She was glad the storm didn’t hit yet.  
“Max!” Warren saw her and from the corner and walked towards her, with a relieved expression. “You didn’t answer my texts yesterday, I got worried and you weren’t at Blackwell.” He stated.  
“Sorry, Warren, it was a…an awful night.” She said, sighing, she felt all of the stress, the shock, everything she’s been through come back.  
_Don’t think about it, Max. Keep going._  
_You need to save Chloe._  
“Shit, Max! Your nose!” He grabbed her arm, leading her to a seat. “What happened to you? You look… like you saw something fucked up.” He said, softly, his expression full of worry.  
“Max? Sweetie, are you okay?” Joyce walked to the table and sat beside her, she cupped her cheek and examined her face. “Is everything okay? Your nose is bleeding!” She helped her wipe the blood. She always saw Max like a second daughter, so she couldn’t help but worry about her.  
“I… Mark Jefferson drugged me.” Max let out, she tried to get a hold of herself, but she couldn’t.  
“God… Max, what?” Joyce asked in disbelief. Warren stood there, looking both shocked and furious.  
“He had this room… he took me there, tied me and took photos… god it was messed up.” She explained, her hands grasping the sides of her head. It hurt, it hurt too much, and her powers were out of control. “He drugged a lot of girls, including Kate… he was about to kill me… but David came in time and saved me.” She said, as she felt the pain getting stronger.  
_God, why did it hurt so much?_  
_“You might have fucked up time and space. No biggie.”_ Her other self was in the seat in front of her. She looked at her with smug smile. _“Your head is pretty much fucked up too.”_ She joked as she leaned closer. _“Did you actually think that a loser like you could control such powers? This is bigger than you. It is all your fault, but you don’t know that, do you?”_ She said, her smile breaking into a laugh, before disappearing.  
Max snapped back to reality, Joyce was hugging her, while Warren was standing, looking really angry.  
She really wanted to know what’s going on, why was she seeing an alternate version of herself. But now, was not the time.  
“I wish I could kill him right now!” Warren stated angrily, then his expression softened when he looked at her again. “I shouldn’t have left you alone yesterday. What kind of friend am I?”  
“Warren, please don’t blame yourself. It is over.” She said, trying not to imagine what Jefferson would have done if Warren was with them. She pulled away from the waitress’s embrace. “Joyce… you were right, David IS a good man. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead right now. He was trying to help people, he just wasn’t good at it.” She explained, hoping that she would change the woman’s mind.  
All this time she was attacking him, but in the end, he was the one to save her.  
The irony was killing her.  
“I’m so glad he saved you Max, I can’t imagine losing you, it would be as painful as losing Chloe.” Joyce admitted, but her words hit her like knives. “I was always defending him, and ignored the things he did… I should’ve stood up to him and showed him what he was doing wrong. He is a good man, but he needed someone to… show him the right way to help people. I kept blaming Chloe, but the truth is, I was the one who tore this family apart.” She explained, with a sorrowful and guilty expression.  
“No Joyce, it wasn’t your fault. You are an amazing mother, and wife. You’ve been through so much, and you’re the one pulling this family together.” Max put a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. Joyce smiled at her. “Listen, you have to believe me, there is a storm coming, you need to go to a shelter.”  
“What storm?” Warren asked.  
“You just HAVE to believe me, okay? It will be all over the news soon!” Max stated, desperately. “Joyce, give David a call, he’s in the dark room… the place I was in, it can hold its own against the storm, you can go there.”  
Joyce nodded and got up to call her husband.  
“Of course! The signs were all over the place! Dead animals, eclipse, snow… but how did you know that?” Warren turned to her and took a seat.  
“Look, I’m going to tell you everything, but you have to believe me! It’s really crazy.”  
“Try me, Max.”  
“I had a vision in Jefferson’s class, at the start of the week, I saw the storm coming, when I woke up, I went to the bathroom, and saw my best friend Chloe get shot by Nathan Prescott, and I rewound time.”  
“Max… what are you saying?”  
“You have to believe me! I got these powers, I don’t know why, and I used them to get to the roof and help Kate!” She said, watching his expression turn into a serious one. “I feel like my powers are connected to the storm! But I don’t know what to do!”  
“Could it be that your powers caused all of this?” He asked, with a thoughtful expression, as if he was trying to solve a puzzle. “I’m no scientist, and I don’t even know if your powers are magic or science, but maybe it’s all about chaos theory? Could it be that every time you altered time, you caused a reaction?”  
She hoped that there was another explanation. She really did.  
“I wish I could ask Kate about this, she’d probably say that I was an angel sent by God.” She said, with a humorless laugh. “That would make me feel better about this mess.”  
“I’m sorry.” The boy said, looking guilty. “It was just a thought, I could be wrong. But maybe you are part of something bigger, Max.” He added, giving her a reassuring smile. Then, he handed her the photo. “I think I understand why you wanted this photo.”  
“I’ll go back and fix everything, Warren. I promise.” She said, smiling at him. She was lucky to have them as a friend.  
“Good luck. I know you’ll keep that promise.” He smiled at her.  
She nodded, and started to focus on the photo. She heard faint voices in the background, then everything became a blur.  
It was bright again. But this time it wasn’t Jefferson’s camera.  
“Max we don’t have time for this shit.” She heard a voice, but the camera’s flash was still blinding her. She had an arm around her.  
That voice. It was Chloe.  
Her body moved on its own, she threw herself at her best friend.  
She tightened her grip on her. She could smell the scent of cigarettes, and she felt her warmth.  
She was alive.  
“Dude, what is up with you?” Chloe pulled away, looking at her with confusion.  
“I’m just… I’m glad we’re here together.” Max said, her voice carrying a sense of relief.  
“I’m glad we’re together too?” She responded, looking even more confused before turning away. “We need to go now.”  
“Chloe wait!” Max walked after her after noticing that Warren left already. “You need to listen to me!”  
“I can walk and listen, okay?”  
“Just stop and listen for once!” She grasped her arm and made her turn around.  
“Fine, Max. I’m listening.” Chloe crossed her arms, looking impatient.  
“Listen, if you go there, you’ll die.”  
“So? You fixed it! Now we need to get Nathan, and he can’t take us down with your powers to protect us.” Chloe stated, acting as if her death was normal.  
“It wasn’t Nathan!” Max snapped, surprising her friend. “It was Jefferson!”  
“Mark Jefferson? The art teacher? That’s bullshit.”  
“No its not! He killed you then drugged me!” The brunette stated. She saw Chloe’s eyes widen, and she could’ve sworn she saw rage in them. “He was going to kill me…”  
The gun’s fire was still ringing in her ears.  
“God… Max… you didn’t deserve that… no one does. I dragged you into this mess. I’m so sorry.” Chloe’s expression softened as she touched her best friend’s arm. The anger then came back. “That fucker will pay for what he did to you. It is time to stop him, with one bullet.”  
“Not that way!” The brunette protested. “I can’t fix everything! I’m scared of fucking up all of these alternate realities!”  
“Wait, what alternate realities?” Chloe asked. She looked more alarmed when her friend’s expression darkened. "What did you do?”  
“I went back to save William, but you got into a car accident instead.” Max confessed. Her body started to shake. She didn’t want to remember it. “You were paralyzed! You were dying and… you asked me to… to…” She lost her balance and felt Chloe’s grip on her keeping her steady. Her nose was bleeding again.  
“Shit! Max!”  
_“I want this time with you to be my last memory.”_  
“You asked me to end it...”  
_“Don’t forget about me. I love you Max.”_  
“And I did.” She let out, her voice cracking, breaking and shattered like glass. “You were in so much pain… I couldn’t let you suffer! I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I won’t.”  
“You… you traveled through multiple realities to… fix my life? And now to save me?” Chloe said, her voice barely a whisper, heavy with sorrow, disbelief. “I… fuck! Why would you do that? I don’t deserve it Max!”  
“Chloe-“  
“I don’t get it! It doesn’t make any fucking sense!” She was now crying, shouting, a hurricane of emotions, of the memories of those who left her, who abandoned her. A storm reminding her of how worthless she was to everyone, of the walls she built to keep the pain away and yet…  
In one week, the walls that she built in years broke down, the storm that raged inside calmed down, it stopped, disappeared… destroyed by the same person who caused it.  
“I’m not used to people putting me first.” She admitted, using her sleeves to wipe away her overflowing tears.  
“I should’ve put you first years ago, Chloe.” Max stated, her voice regaining its power, and determination. “I won’t make the same mistake again. We’re partners in crime, right?”  
“And partners in time.” Chloe said, smiling.  
“I’d hate to ruin the moment but, we need to tell David about Jefferson and the dark room and Victoria being in danger, we also need to tell him about the storm, there are many shelters build by the prescotts, everyone should be safe there.” Max explained.  
“What? Why would we ask for step-prick’s help?” Chloe asked, disgusted at the idea.  
“Chloe, David saved my life, along with Nathan.”  
“David and Nathan?!”  
“Nathan had visions of the storm too, he’s…we’re the same.” She said, suppressing the memory of what happened in the dark room. “You have to trust me.”  
Chloe was about to protest, but then she sighed. “I trust you Max.”  
Max smiled before continuing. “So, after a few minutes, I won’t remember this conversation, you have to explain everything to me, and tell me that I travelled through a photo. I don’t know when I’ll take control again.”  
“Shit, time travel is a mind fuck.” Her best friend winced, all the time travel talk made her confused. “Will you believe me?”  
“I will always believe you, Chloe.” She answered, taking her hand and walking away.  
The memory faded.  
Max blinked as she came into the new timeline, she was in a crowd of people, but she shrugged it off once she saw blue hair in front of her.  
She threw her arms around her friend, the latter turned to her smiling. “You’re finally back, how was your time trip dude?”  
“Shut up!” Max said, laughing softly, relieved that she changed the blue haired girl’s fate. “You’re alive! You’re here!” She hugged her, as if trying to confirm if she was real or not. “I couldn’t let you die. You kept me going, if it weren’t for you, I would’ve gave up…”  
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Chloe said, hugging back tightly. “All what matters is that we’re together again. It’s as if fate doesn’t want us apart.”  
“Yeah.” Max pulled away, smiling. “What happened after I warned you?”  
“We told…David about the darkroom, he arrested Jefferson and Victoria’s safe. However…” Chloe looked at the tornado heading to the town. “Not everyone was convinced about the storm. And once they saw it coming, everyone were rushing into shelters and it’s a mess. At this rate…” She groaned, glaring at the crowd. “See? This is why I hate this fucking town, stupid people.”  
“The storm is getting closer, half of the people won’t make it!” Max stated, staring at the tornado. She looked down at the palm of her hand. “Maybe I could…”  
“Max, I know what you’re thinking! There is nothing you can do.” Chloe grabbed her arm and made her turn and face her. “You did more than enough! You saved lives, and you helped me find Rachel, you got Jefferson busted! You even travelled through timelines to fix things!” She put her hands on the time traveler’s shoulders. “You’ve been through some fucked up stuff, so please, try to think of yourself for once!”  
“My powers are connected to the storm! I don’t know how but I can feel it!” Max shook her head and looked down at her hand. “Everything started when discovered my powers. I can’t stand here doing nothing while the tornado rips the town and its people apart!”  
“What If it doesn’t work?!” Chloe was shouting at this point, worry and anger filling her heart. “What if it had nothing to do with you? What if you end up using your powers too much? God, Max those fucking nosebleeds you get aren’t normal! You might…” She shook her head, and closed her eyes tightly, trying not to think of what could happen.  
“Chloe.” Max cupped her cheeks, and their eyes met. She couldn’t tell if Chloe was shaking from the rain, or the fear, maybe a mix of both. “I told you before. I am never leaving you.”  
Chloe’s eyes widened, she didn’t remember Max telling her that. Then she realized that it was another Chloe who heard these words.  
Max cared for her in every timeline. While she was being an ungrateful selfish brat.  
Max smiled at her before running towards the storm.  
“Shit! Max wait!” Chloe shouted, running through the crowd of people, trying to get a sight of her best friend, but she couldn’t. “Max! Where are you?!” She bumped into some guy running from the storm and fell. She cursed and got up. “Please be safe…” She pleaded.  
Max ran through the streets, trying to get closer to the tornado.  
It was a suicidal act, and she knew that.  
She was startled when a sign came flying towards her, she rewound and avoided it. The use of her powers made her stumble back as her the blood rushed down her nose. _“Wowser, am I dying?”_ She wiped the blood and looked around, wondering where to go.  
_“Wait, didn’t Nathan say something about the lighthouse?”_ She thought and stared at the lighthouse, it was still standing. _“That’s where my nightmare started. Of course.”_ She was about to run when someone pulled her by the arm into a hug.  
“Max you piece of shit!” Chloe let out, panting. “What the fuck where you thinking?!”  
“What were YOU thinking?” Max pulled away, horrified. “This is dangerous! You should be with the others! Unlike you I can protect myself with my rewind powers.”  
“You must be out of your mind if you think that I will let you go through this fucking storm alone!” Chloe stated, letting her go. “We’re through this together, you can’t stop me from coming! I’m here for you.”  
Max was about to protest, but the horrified look on her best friend stopped her. Chloe pulled her closer, and shielded her. A bus flied their way.  
Everything was in slow motion.  
She raised her hand and everything stopped, except for Chloe.  
The blue haired girl pulled away slightly, confused. The bus should’ve hit by now.  
“You… you can move?” Max asked, shocked by the revelation.  
“What the…?” Chloe gasped when she saw everything frozen in place. “What the fuck?! Is this… Max are these your powers? Holy shit!”  
“You’re still holding into me… It’s because we’re touching you weren’t affected by it!” Max stated in realization.  
“This is fucking amazeballs!” Her friend stated, still staring at the scene. “Hella insane!”  
“I can’t hold if for long, so let’s move out of the way, we need to get to the lighthouse.” Chloe looked confused but decided to trust Max.  
When they reached the lighthouse, they were safe from the storm. However, the view was terrifying.  
“What now?” Chloe asked, as she looked at her friend, hoping for answer.  
Sadly, Max had nothing to say.  
She didn’t know what to do, or how to stop the tornado.  
She wished to see the ghost deer again, to be guided, but she got nothing.  
_“You know what to do.”_ The voice in her head spoke.  
_I don’t._  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a boat flying in their direction.  
“Chloe move!” She yelled as the lighthouse fell on them.  
She raised her hand, then everything faded to darkness.  
When she opened her eyes, it was bright again.  
“Max in the dark room. Max in the dark room.” Her other self chanted.  
She found herself in that cursed place again. She looked around in panic. This wasn’t supposed to happen.  
“Nice of you to join me, Max.” A familiar voice said, making her blood run cold.  
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Max yelled, trying to escape the chair she was tied to. “David arrested you!’  
“Are you sure about that?” Jefferson asked as he inspected his camera. “I am pretty sure you shot my brains out. I am impressed.”  
She froze. This couldn’t be real.  
“You’re not real.” She stated, glaring at him, cursing his existence.  
“Do you really believe that?” He walked towards her. “I’m more real than you think.” He snapped a picture. “I will live with you. Your memory of me will be carved in the back of your head. We are the same, Max.”  
“I’m nothing like you!” She snapped, her voice filled with venom and hatred.  
“You became like me the moment you pulled the trigger.”  
“No I’m not…” The sound of the gunshot played in her head. It rang in her ears. “I’m nothing like you!”  
“Keep telling that to yourself.” He laughed. “You might actually believe it.” He took his camera and looked for the right angle to take a shot. “You will never forget the horrors of this place, and that way, I would have broke you, a god like. This is more power than my family could ever have.  
“Eat shit and die! You are NOT real!”  
“You’re wrong Max. This is reality.” He took a photo.  
The camera blinded her for a second. Then he was gone and she was untied.  
She got up and saw her pictures hanging on the walls, she wanted to throw up. Then something caught her eyes.  
Chloe’s necklace was on the desk, again.  
_Am I stuck in a time loop?_  
She reached for it but suddenly, one of the bullets pierced her chest. She clenched it and looked it down at her palm. No sign of blood, but the pain felt real.  
_“How does it feel?”_  
“What?” Max let out.  
_“How does it feel to be shot? To be dead.”_  
“What are you talking about?!” She yelled as fear and confusion took over her. “I’m not dead!”  
There was no answer this time.  
Max shook her head and walked towards the exit.  
Her mind was playing games on her, and she had no choice but to play along.  
She opened the vault and found herself in Blackwell’s hallway in the same clothes she wore on Monday, and the same song playing in her earbuds.  
It was fucked, and the worst part of it? She couldn’t control her moves. Her body was moving on its own.  
She walked into the bathroom, put away the earbuds, and washed her face. She looked at the mirror and she could’ve sworn that she look a year or two younger.  
Did all the time travelling affect her age?  
She looked at her photo for the everyday hero contest. “Stop torturing yourself. You have a gift.” She said before looking back at her reflection. “Fuck it.” She tore the photo, then the butterfly came in.  
Everything played exactly the same way.  
She was hiding in the corner, watching Nathan threatening Chloe with the gun.  
Her body wouldn’t move. She didn’t hit the fire alarm.  
_Move! What are you doing?_ Her mind screamed as she stood still, watching the scene again.  
She finally moved.  
“NO!”  
She heard the gunshot, again. This time she was the one who got shot. She clutched her chest and fell on the dirty floor.  
She could heard Nathan freaking out and running.  
“Holy shit! Max Caulfield?” SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!” She heard Chloe’s panicked voice. She felt an arm pulled her up and a hand pressed against hers, trying to put pressure on the wound. “Max can you hear me? It’s me, Chloe.” Her voice was weak, broken. She forgot how bitter and sad her best friend sounded when they first met again, it felt as if they’ve lived a thousand lives this week. “Don’t you fucking die! Not when you finally came back!”  
She felt warm tears against her skin. She couldn’t talk, or move, no matter how much she wanted to.  
“Please Max…”  
Time stopped and she saw her alternate self looking down at her  
_“The one who died in the bathroom, was you.”_  
“But I saw-“Her voice finally came back.  
_“It was a vision, just like the one with the storm. You prevented from happening. Once you got shot, your conscience accidently travelled back to your previous state in the classroom. Ever wondered why it was different from the usual rewind?_ ” She explained then walked away. _“This was the last memory of the first Max you left behind.”_  
Darkness came back, and this time, she was standing in the middle of nowhere.  
“Why is this happening?” She yelled in the emptiness. “What do you want from me?”  
“You are lost Max.” A sweet and soft voice startled her. She turned and saw Kate standing there, looking at her with a soft smile. “That is why you’re here.”  
“Kate, what do you mean?” Max asked, and approached her friend, slowly.  
“Why did you let me die?” Kate’s bright smile became a frown. “Why didn’t you stop me from jumping?”  
“I did!” Max stated, the palm of her hand itching, hurting, as if it was begging her to rewind and get out of here. “You didn’t jump, Kate you’re in the hospital.”  
Her vision became blurry, and she found herself on the roof again.  
It was raining, and Kate was standing there, looking at her, waiting for the right answer.  
This was a real nightmare.  
She knew what to do this time, she knew all the right answers.  
“Kate, your mom cares about you!”  
And yet the wrong answer came out instead.  
She reached out for her but the blonde already jumped, she watched as she collided with the hard ground. The next thing she knew, she was standing with the others student, right in front of what remains of Kate Marsh.  
“NO! OH GOD NO!” Max covered her face and looked away, she tried to rewind, but nothing happened. “I SAVED YOU! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?”  
She was in a void again, she wiped her tears and let out a shaky breath. “It’s just a nightmare… this is not real… none of this is real…” She started walking again, she was in a dark hallway.  
_Chloe was here_  
_Rachel is here_  
_Max was here_  
The writing were on the walls, her name and Chloe’s in a read circle.  
**_You’ll going to die_**  
She looked away and kept walking.  
_“Why didn’t you save me Max?”_ Kate’s voice echoed in the hallway. _“You were nosey enough to stick your nose into everyone’s business, but not nosey enough to find the answer in my room?”_  
_“I hope you took a nice selfie next to my crashed skull.”_  
_“You couldn’t even warn me about the right person, Caulfield.”_ Now it was Victoria’s voice. _“You’re fucking hypocrite. I know you spilled that paint over me, then tried to comfort me, acting all nice and innocent.”_  
_“That bucket could have fell on me and killed me, ever thought about that? And you almost destroyed Samuel’s life.”_  
_“Now I’m here tied in the Dark room and it is YOUR FAULT.”_  
“Keep moving… this is not real.” Max whispered to herself. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if it would shield her from the cruel words.  
_Max is a loser._  
_No one likes you._  
_Why are you here?_  
_You should’ve been in Kate’s place._  
_**YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN BURIED IN RACHEL’S PLACE**_  
She closed her eyes, trying not to look at the writing on the wall. It was cruel. It hurt so much.  
_“You keep ignoring me Max, after everything I did for you. What kind of friend are you?_ ” Warren’s once kind voice turned into a harsh one. _“Is that how you treat your friends? Huh? This is your karma Max. You’re about to Go ape.”_  
_“You kept blaming me for everything!”_ Nathan’s voice, angry, bitter, sad and hurt. _“I didn’t want to hurt anyone! I loved Rachel and you blamed me for her death! No one helped me Max, especially you! You’re the real monster!”_  
She could hear Jefferson laughing at her, a soft laugh.  
She wanted to throw up.  
_“You let me die Max.”_ William was in front of her. _“After I treated you like my own daughter, and as that wasn’t enough for you, you let my baby die.”_ He walked towards the light. _“I hope someone gets the choice to make you die someday.”_  
“William!” She chased after him only to stop when she saw a wheelchair, it’s back turned to her, she couldn’t see who it was. She walked towards slowly, and turned the chair.  
“NO!” She screamed and fell on her back, looking at the person in horror.  
She was in the wheelchair, lifeless, with a tube on her neck, her limbs tied to the chair.  
“No…no… no…” She hugged her knees and buried her face, wishing that this will all go away. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone… I didn’t want to. I swear…” She took a deep breath.  
This wasn’t real. She had to wake up.  
Chloe was still at the lighthouse, and the storm was still coming.  
She had to keep going.  
This time she wasn’t in a dark place anymore, it was all white, and clean.  
Of course, she lost control over her body, again.  
“Where am I this time?”  
_“San Francisco’s art gallery.”_  
“What?” She thought as she walked around, she looked at the works of art, the people passing by, and watching, and talking. It all felt real, it wasn’t part of a nightmare anymore. “What is this? Why are you showing me this?”  
_“Keep walking.”_  
So she did. She stopped once she saw a certain photo. She walked to it, people were praising her. It was the same photo she tore apart in the bathroom.  
_“You could’ve won the contest, you could’ve made your own name.”_ Maxine stated. _“You let the opportunity slip away, because you’re a damn coward. I am showing you what could have been, what you wasted.”_  
“What…” Max started, unable to look away from her work. She dreamt of this, prayed that this day would come true, but she wasted an important chance. It felt so surreal to see people fascinated with her work. “What do you want from me?”  
_“Why don’t you find me? I might explain it if you do.”_  
She turned and found herself in two whales, everyone she interacted with this week was there, frozen, time was frozen. She could hear their voices, whispers, but she kept walking until she found who she was looking for.  
_“Took you long enough.”_ Her counterpart was sitting there, watching her with interest.  
“Explain, now.” Max ordered, glaring at her reflection.  
_“Getting bossy, huh?”_ Maxine smirked and shook her head. _“Max, oh Max. How naïve can you be? What you saw were the timelines you created. Did you think that once you used your powers, the timeline you left would be erased? You guessed wrong.”_  
“What was I supposed to do about it?!” Max asked. “What is the point of telling me this, of showing me all of this?!”  
_“I am showing you reality.”_  
“You’re not real.”  
_“No, I’m more real than you can imagine, I’m as real as you are. All you ever do is run away from your mistakes, make choice you weren’t supposed to make.”_ Maxine stated. _“Did you think that you could act like a God? Play with people’s lives? Control them? Erase all of your mistakes?”_  
“I tried to help people!” Max slammed her hands on the table. “I was controlling anyone!”  
_“Oh yeah? What about all these times when you kept rewinding to make people like you? To get to fly some stupid drone, or to look at a student’s portfolio, huh?”_  
“I didn’t want them to like me! I did care!”  
_“Holy shit, are you cereal? You’re a fucking hypocrite! You didn’t care! You only wanted to become popular! You don’t know how to make friends! And you ignored the few real friends you had! Remember when Kate was depressed? You did nothing! Remember when Warren got a black eye for you? You ignored him! Oh, and let’s not forget Chloe! Remember when she was alone here? Suffering and mourning her father? YOU DIDN’T EVEN CALL OR SEND A TEXT FOR FIVE FUCKING YEARS!”_ Maxine grabbed her by her hoodie, glaring at her. If looks could kill, Max would’ve been buried next to Rachel.  
Max remained silent, she wanted to say something, defend herself, but she knew how true these words were.  
_“You wasted so much, and even when you got these powers, you kept fucking up!”_ Maxine let her go and sat again. _“The visions you saw? They happened, you saw what happened in the other realities, you were supposed to prevent them, and you did.”_  
“Then how come the storm still came?”  
_“Because there were two storms, two visions. You prevented one, but created the other.”_  
“What? What are you talking about?!” Max asked, alarmed.  
_“In case you were too stupid to notice, you activate a new power when you’re in an emotional state, it happened with Kate, and William. Your powers seem to depend on your emotions.”_ Her alternate self explained, playing with some Polaroid photos that appeared out of nowhere. _“Yesterday was the worst day of your life, first, the alternate timeline… my timeline. You had to make the choice between letting your best friend die peacefully, or let her live with the pain, harsh, isn’t it?”_ She smirked at the brunette’s glare. _“Then you let William, a man you considered part of your family, die just to fix the timeline. You found Rachel’s corpse, then you saw Chloe get shot by your idol. He drugged you, and took shots of you, and you shot him. That would cause a hurricane of emotions.”_  
“You’re saying that my emotions caused the storm?”  
_“Well, more like, YOU are the storm. Your powers got out of control in the dark room, which caused the storm. Then you used Warren’s photo to go back and fix things, but it does not work that way. Every time you jump through photos, you leave your previous self and timeline behind, you fixed nothing, you just escaped to a safer reality, and when you did, you caused a new storm in this new timeline.”_  
Max took the other seat and looked down at her shaking hands. “All of this destruction, is my fault?” She looked at her reflection with a pleading look. “Then what caused the first storm? Or was it my doing?”  
_“I wouldn’t know.”_  
“Are you even real?!”  
_“I am the Max Caulfield from the timeline where William lives, where Chloe is in a wheelchair, the one you created, but once you left, a part of me stayed with you.”_ Maxine looked down at the blurry photos. _“I carry the pain of every Max you left behind, their fear, and their guilt. Out of all of us, you are the most dominant Max. My suffering is your fault, and I hate you more than anything.”_  
“Then why are you helping me?” Max asked.  
_“I am doing it for Chloe.”_ Maxine stated, as she picked up a photo of when they were children, the one Max burned. _“She deserves to be happy after everything she went through. I lost the chance to help her, but you still have one.”_  
Max was about to say something but then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She touched it and felt something wet. She looked at her hand and saw a trace of blood on her fingers. “Wowser… why am I bleeding?”  
_“The lighthouse fell on you. You got hit.”_ Maxine left her seat and started walking towards the exit. _“You might want to wake up before it is too late. You’re getting closer to death.”_  
“Wait!” Max chased after her, but the diner turned back into the void she was in. “How do I get out of here?” She yelled, hoping for an answer, but she got nothing. She collapsed against the cold floor, the blood dripping on it. She turned, lying on her back, it was hard to keep her eyes open.  
“Max!”  
She heard a soft voice talking to her. She tried to focus her vision, only to see blue…  
“Wake up.” The voice said, blue eyes stared at her, a soft and worried expression was there. “You can’t die yet, Super Max.” The person lifted her gently, they put an arm around her waist, and pulled her arm over their shoulder, carrying her.  
“Chloe…?” Max whispered, recognizing the voice.  
“We’re almost there.”  
“You’re almost there Max, wake up.”  
Thunder was the next thing she heard. She felt the cold rain and the blood on her skin.  
“Max! Wake up! Fuck!” She opened her eyes slightly, she managed to get a look of Chloe’s panicked face, she noticed a few cuts on her, nothing too dangerous. “Shit! You’re bleeding! I don’t know what to do! Please tell me what to do Max…” When she didn’t answer, her friend lifted her up, trying not to make the bleeding worse. “Don’t you dare die! You hear me? I’ll kill you if you do!”  
“Chloe…” Max said, as her friend looked at her in relief. “Are you okay?”  
“Dude, you were the one who got hit on the head!” Chloe stated as she let out a shaky laugh. “You slowed time or whatever magic you did, it saved our asses.”  
Max pulled away from her, and stared at her storm. “This is my storm! I caused this! I couldn’t control my powers and… Arcadia bay is going to be destroyed because me.”  
“Fuck that! Do not blame yourself, okay?” Chloe said as she grasped her shoulders. “You didn’t ask for this power! Nothing is your fault! You might not be the goddamn time master but you’re Maxine Caulfield, and you’re amazing!” She frowned when Max looked down. She then reached for the photo in her pocket. “Max, this is the only way.”  
Max looked at the photo, it was the butterfly photo. Her eyes widened as she realized what the punk was requesting. “No! Fuck that! You are all what matters to me!”  
“I know.” Chloe said, trying to fight tears. “You proved that over and over again, but there are so many people at Arcadia bay who deserve to live, more than me! Look at how many times I almost died! Everything started when you saved me! Max you finally came back to me, and you did nothing but show me your love and friend, no matter what happens all of our moments will be real! That is the best farewell gift I could’ve hoped for!”  
“That’s bullshit! Going back to that day will erase everything! You will die thinking that I abandoned you! That Rachel abandoned you! You were never meant to die Chloe!” Max yelled. “You weren’t the one who died in the bathroom.”  
“What?” Chloe’s blood run cold. “What do you mean…?”  
“I died.” Max answered as she took the photo. “I just found out. My powers saved me.”  
“You got shot instead of me?” The punk shook her head in disbelief. Her heart sank as she realized that Max could’ve died because of her.  
“If I have to fix the timeline, then I can just go back, and get shot. You never had to die.” Max stated as she stared at the photo.  
“No!” Chloe snapped the picture from the brunette’s hand. “You can’t do that! You can’t die!” She shouted, but her voice came out weak and broken.  
“So it’s okay for me to let you die? But you won’t let me die instead?” Max shouted angrily as she grasped her friend’s arms. For the first time in her life, Chloe was scared of her, those weren’t the photographer’s eyes, they belonged to someone else. “Don’t you know how much it would suck to lose you? Don’t you know how much your life matters to Joyce and David? How much it matters to me?! I will never even think about sacrificing you!”  
She let her go and took a step back. Chloe just looked down, silent.  
“I’m not the Max who used to chicken out every time we got into trouble. I’m not the Max who couldn’t call you for five years. I’m not the Max who keeps hiding behind her camera. I’m not that coward anymore! I don’t want to run away from my mistakes anymore!” Max confessed. “I don’t want to change the past anymore!”  
_“There was someone, at the lighthouse… They were standing near the cliff, I don’t know if this helps you, but I thought you should know.”_ She remembered Nathan’s words.  
“If I am the storm… then it’s the only way to stop it.”  
“Chloe?” She called out, staring at her friend’s lost expression. They were so small compared to this mess, and to think that they wanted to take over the world when they were kids. She took a few steps backwards. “I love you. Don’t you forget about me.”  
Chloe’s expression turned into a horrified one. She run after her but wasn’t quick enough.  
Max was about to take the last step, but everything froze.  
“What is going on?” She asked, confused. She took a step back. The storm was frozen, and so was Chloe, she didn’t even use her powers. “What do you want from me? Haven’t you done enough?” She yelled, at no one, maybe at the universe, at whatever gave her these powers. “You gave me these powers! Take them back! I don’t want them anymore! I won’t bow to you anymore! I am in control of my own destiny!”  
She gasped when she saw the blue butterfly flying towards her, it landed on her shoulder.  
“I finally got to meet THE Max Caulfield.” A voice startled her, she saw the ghost deer by her side. The deer faded and a person showed up in its place. A beautiful blonde woman, with a blue feather attached to her ear. “Chloe told me a lot about you.”  
“Rachel?” Max gasped, and looked at her in awe. She saw her in the posters, but this was the first time she actually saw her. “You were the deer? All along? You were guiding me. I thought it was my spirit animal.”  
“No, my spirit was guiding you so you can find my body, and bring me peace. Thank you Max. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never found peace.” Rachel said, smiling softly.  
“I couldn’t save you, I’m so sorry.” Max looked down.  
“You can’t save everyone.” The blonde stated, then looked at the butterfly. “Speaking of spirit animals, yours is a bit special. The butterfly effect, kinda suits you now, doesn’t it? You changed so many people ever since you came, you changed Arcadia bay.”  
“The butterfly?” Max looked at the blue butterfly resting on her shoulder. “The butterfly can also create a hurricane. Sounds familiar?”  
“Don’t blame yourself. You can still stop it, just like you stopped the first one.” Rachel stated, as she looked at the frozen tornado. “I had the same gift, Max. I was able to rewind time.”  
“What?” The brunette looked at her shocked.  
“I never understood why I got these powers, but I used them to control people. I was so manipulative, that I heard the people I loved. I hurt Frank and Chloe. I wanted to leave Arcadia bay so badly, that I ended up getting involved with Mark Jefferson, and I caused my own death.” She explained, looking down at her palm, the one she once used to rewind. “I never understood the reason behind my powers, until now.”  
“Please tell me!” Max pleaded. “I have to know! Why was I given these powers?”  
“Samuel referred to this town as its own been. The storm was Arcadia bay’s revenge. The Prescotts were given the power to lead this town, to make it better, but they misused their gift, and they hurt the town, just like I did with my powers.” The blonde sighed, and stared at the town from afar. “I think I was given these powers to fix everything, to destroy the Prescotts, but I failed, or maybe, maybe it was all according to plan. Maybe I had to misuse them, and die, just to help you at this moment.”  
“But why me?” Max asked. “There are so many people that could have used it better.”  
“No, you were the right person to choose. You used your powers to help people, and you got Jefferson arrested, therefore you stopped the storm, by bringing justice to the town, besides, your connection to Chloe had to play a part too.”  
“What about Chloe?”  
“You were meant to save her on that day. Think about it, Chloe was looking for me, and she is related to David who suspected that something was going on in this town, and on that day, you were in the bathroom, at the right moment, when Nathan was about to kill her. She was in debt with Frank, who was my boyfriend, and the person who gave drugs to Nathan and Jefferson.” The blonde explained with a smug smile. “See? We’re all connected. The reason Chloe’s life was in danger, is because of all the negative power surrounding the town. She was the key to solve the mystery.”  
“Wowser.” Max breathed out as she took all of this information.  
“Hella insane, right?” Rachel laughed. “Time travel and supernatural stuff is a mind fuck.”  
“Truth has been spoken.” Max smiled at the use of ‘hella’, now she knew where Chloe got it from. “We are two sides of the same coin.”  
“Strange how life works, huh?” Rachel smirked.  
“Now what?”  
“If you created this storm, maybe you can undo it, erase its existence.”  
“How?”  
“I don’t have these powers anymore, but you do, you know what to do.” Rachel stated, as she started to fade. “Take care of Chloe, okay?”  
“What if I don’t make it back?” Max whispered, not daring to look at her frozen friend.  
“That would be the last straw for her.” The ghost said, her tone sad and regretful. “She needs you. I couldn’t fill the hole in her heart, after she lost you and her dad, she was broken. You did what I tried to for years, in just a week.”  
“I only caused her pain.”  
“But you also gave her happiness. You have to survive this, for her.” Rachel stated before fading completely.  
Max sighed and glanced at Chloe.  
Maybe if she could alter it with her rewind, she might be able to destroy it, or however that worked.  
She took a deep breath and raised her hand, ignoring the pain it caused her. She had to end this, but there was no way she was dying today. She wasn’t going to leave Chloe behind. Not again.  
Her head was spinning as voices played in her head, she focused on the storm.  
_“You don’t know who the fuck I am, or who you’re messing around with!”_  
_“Max, I’m in a nightmare and I can’t wake up! Unless I put myself to sleep.”_  
_“If I see you here again, you’ll learn about real trouble.”_  
_“And there she is, a lovely young woman.”_  
Rewind. Stop. Rewind.  
The tornado moved forward and backwards.  
She was pulling the threads.  
_“After five years you’re still Max Caulfield.”_  
_“Don’t give me the guilty face, at least pretend you’re glad to see me.”_  
_“Don’t insult me Max, go on.”_  
_“Max I got this!”_  
_“Why don’t you go fuck your selfie?”_  
_“I can frame any of you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation.”_  
_“And Max, has a gift.”_  
Her nose started bleeding.  
_“I will remember you kid, I will remember you almost shot me.”_  
_“Max, you’ll be here too, right?”_  
_“She’s never leaving me!”_  
_“Everyone pretends to care until they don’t! Even you!”_  
_“What kind of world does this?! Who does this?!”_  
_“I am saying, that being with you has being so special._  
_“I want this moment with you to be my last memory.”_  
The bleeding got worse, not just her nose, but her head too, her vision was blurry, she couldn’t look at the tornado anymore.  
   
_“Seeing you after all these years feels like…”_  
_“Destiny?”_  
She gasped and let go, blood was everywhere.  
She felt someone grasp her by the shoulder and turn her, they both fell on their knees.  
Talk about Deja vu.  
“Don’t you ever scare me like that!” Chloe hugged her, sobbing. She pulled away, and checked the bloody nose. “What happen-“She stopped when she noticed that the storm was gone. The sun light was coming back. “You stopped it. How?” She was surprised when she felt a weight on her shoulder.  
Max lost conscience, with a smile.  
She did it. It was finally over.  
“Max? Max!”  
The people stared at the sky.  
“God, please let them be okay!” Joyce prayed for the girls.  
“It stopped!” David stated, almost forgetting that Jefferson was under his watch.  
The teacher took the opportunity to run away.  
“Hey! Wait!”  
Jefferson kept running but one of the buildings signs fell on him, kill him.  
A week has passed ever since the storm. Thankfully, the storm didn’t cause much damage to the town.  
David became head of Arcadia bay’s police.  
Nathan started seeing a new doctor, and this time Victoria was with him on every session. He gave all the proof against the Presscotts.  
Kate finished her book for children, it was appreciated by people. She wanted to pass a lesson to the children, so that what happened with her, won’t happen with someone else in the future.  
Warren was still Warren. He became more confident after the events of the week, he ended ‘going ape’ with Brooke, since he couldn’t with Max.  
Frank visited Rachel’s grave, Pompidou came along, moping around. He wasn’t there at the burial, being a drug dealer stopped him from coming. He decided to find a new job, to have a clean start. He stared at his lover’s grave, and noticed that someone left flowers.  
Chloe watched him from a distance, before leaving.  
She got into her truck and drove towards the hospital. She hated that place, but she had to do this. She took a deep breath as she opened a certain door.

She froze when she saw the patient awake.  
Max was sitting there, staring blankly. Illuminated by the sun light. Her head was bandaged.  
Chloe noticed a familiar butterfly resting on the brunette’s hand.  
She took a seat next to her friend. “Hey Max. Sorry I’m late, had some stuff to take care of.” She frowned when the brunette didn’t even look at her. “The doctors said that you hardly interact with them, and even when you do, it’s for a short while.”  
She sighed and took her hand.  
“If you can hear me… please don’t shut me out Max. I don’t know what’s going inside your head, but I’m here for you.”  
_“You actually did it.”_ Maxine said, they were in the diner again. _“But you don’t seem to do well.”_  
“Why are you still here?” Max asked.  
_“I will always be here. I am you. But I’m not the one you should be worried about, he is the problem.”_ Maxine looked at Jefferson, who was standing in a corner. _“The memory of this week will haunt you. You won’t be the same anymore. You can’t even tell the difference between reality and illusion anymore.”_  
“I…” Max took a deep breath. “I won’t let him break me.”  
_“You can’t say that if you can’t pull yourself into reality anymore.”_  
“That’s okay.” Max said, as she felt a warm sensation in her hand. “I still have someone who can pull me into again.”  
She finally woke up from the nightmare, and looked at Chloe. The latter was shocked to see her move. “Hey Chloe.” She smiled.  
“Dude you’re alive!” Chloe threw herself at her. “I thought you were a zombie for a second!”  
“Chloe… can’t breathe.”  
“Sorry.” Chloe pulled away, with her usual shit eating grin. “I… uh… you only say a word or two to me whenever I visit you… I really missed my partner in time.”  
“Sorry, it’s just… it’s so hard. All the things I saw and…”  
“It’s okay.” Chloe interrupted her. “I bet it was some fucked up shit. But you can tell me when you’re ready just…” She cupped her cheek, making their eyes meet. “Don’t drift back there… focus on me okay?” She said then blushed at the use of her words. “I mean focus on me or whatever keeps you in reality! You can still focus on me, I’m hella cool. And hot.”  
Max laughed. “You’re priceless. Pun intended.” She noticed her friend’s eyes stuck on her right hand. It was shaking like crazy. The brunette gripped it to hold it down. “Great power doesn’t come without a price, I guess.” She said, looking at the butterfly that now sat by the window. “Can’t even take a photo anymore, wowser, right?”  
“You’ll get better. You didn’t give up when things got fucked up. You won’t do it now. I’m with ‘til the end. Partners, right?” Chloe reassured her. She smiled when the brunette nodded. “You didn’t give up on me, after all the shit I put you through…I… You saved my life, and for once, I don’t feel angry at the world.” She sighed avoiding eye contact. “If our roles were reversed… I would’ve done the same for you. I’m a selfish asshole, you know? Losing you would suck.”  
“I know you would.” Max smiled, feeling warm for the first time in a week.  
“Oh by the way! I came to give you this! Totally forgot!” Chloe looked into her pockets and pulled a photo. “I found this by the lighthouse, figured you’d go crazy if one of your photos went missing.”  
Max took the photo and stared at it silently. “This photo! How? I tore it!” She stated as she examined it, it was her entry for the everyday hero contest. “It’s whole again.”  
“You time travelled and stopped a giant tornado, but a photo freaks you out?” Chloe muttered as she looked confused at the photo. “You’re strange.”  
_“This is who you chose to be. Don’t waste any more chances, Maxine.”_  
“Life is strange.” Max said, running her thumb over the picture. She turned to the window, and watched the butterfly leave.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the result of being really mad at the last episode. Hope you liked this!


End file.
